DENVER — Three people have now been sentenced in the 2021 death of a Weld County teenager, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.
Destiny Salazar, 36, and Gabriel Orozco, 36, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and the distribution of fentanyl. From July to December of 2021, Salazar and Orozco pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl using Facebook, cellphones and multiple email accounts.
Orozco was sentenced to 168 months in prison on Monday, followed by 10 years of supervised release, while Salazar was sentenced to 144 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release as well.
Kaleb Hale was one of their customers who made a purchase from Salazar and Orozco on July 24, 2021. He and his 16-year girlfriend then traveled to Greeley where they crushed one of the pills from Salazar and Orozco and snorted it. Hale's girlfriend died during the night as a result of fentanyl intoxication, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.
Hale woke up the next day with severe pain in his abdomen. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Sept. 19, 2025, followed by six years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl to someone under 25 years old.
“Fentanyl has taken the life of another young Coloradan who had her whole life ahead of her,” United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly said. “This case should be a warning to drug users and dealers alike. Using even the smallest amount of fentanyl can have deadly consequences.
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